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ChrisOfTheOT
08-28-2013, 07:53 PM
I have the latest Mezzmo updated on our new WHS 2011 setup (4gb RAM). It links to the Xbox & Panansonic Viera TV happily enough but the videos run for between a second or two to a minute or so before freezing or stuttering along. (Some videos say they are not recognised, but not always, even if the preview window works okay.) The network is all wired gigabit from the server & BT Home Hub router to the Xbox & TV.

I've searched here and changed the ffmpeg to the 64bit version - which seemed to help a bit - but has not cured the problem. :(

FFmpeg details below of the last video I tried:

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102


---> DB Level Info: 40, 100
---> Frame rate: 25.00
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9 PAR=1:1

Any help is much appreicated. :)

Cheers,

Chris

:o Sorry, forgot to say that the device profiles are 'Xbox' & 'Panasonic (2011 models)' respectively, set to gigabit speed. I've also seen - and got plenty confused by - 'transcoding' and 'pre-transcoding'. I'm not clear on why the second may be preferable.

Paul
08-29-2013, 09:07 AM
Hi Chris,

Your FFmpeg information is missing a bunch of text in the middle. Please post the FFmpeg information again. Right-click on the video in Mezzmo and click 'Get FFmpeg Information'.

Without seeing the FFmpeg information, I'll guess one possible reason for the stuttering. Mezzmo server may be transcoding your video on-the-fly while they are streaming to your TV or Xbox. It is doing thsi since your video is not compatible with your TV or Xbox and it transcodes (converts) it to a supported format. If transcoding is not fast enough on your computer, then your TV or Xbox will not have enough video data delivered to it by Mezzmo server so it can start to stutter. The way to check if this is happening is to play the video on your TV or Xbox and when it starts stuttering, go back to Mezzmo and check the Transcoding pane. If the video is listed there and is marked red, then we know that transcoding is too slow for real time playback. To fix this, you can upgrade your computer to a higher spec or you can pre-transcode your stuttering videos before streaming them. Pre-transcoding means you transcode them before streaming them so that when you want to play them, they are ready to be streamed and no transcoding is required. This fixes the "transcoding on-the-fly too slow" issue that you may have. To pre-transcode a file, check this FAQ - http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/6025-Tutorial-Pre-transcoding-Files.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-29-2013, 05:13 PM
Ooops - not sure what happened to the ffmpeg information. Here's the full Monty:

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102
Input #0, mpegts, from '\\SERVER\Videos\Panasonic SD60 HD Videos\Animals In The Garden\Rabbit3 28.7.13.MTS':
Duration: 00:01:23.52, start: 0.502333, bitrate: 16496 kb/s
Program 1
No Program
Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 50 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s
Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090)
At least one output file must be specified

<MEZZMO>: Child process ended with code: 109, ExitCode=1


---> DB Level Info: 40, 100
---> Frame rate: 25.00
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9 PAR=1:1

Sorry!

Chris

Paul
08-29-2013, 05:34 PM
Thanks, Chris. The video has quite a high bitrate (16 Mbps). Stuttering with high bitrate videos is quite common for two reasons: (i) if the video is streamed directly to your device by Mezzmo without any transcoding, the device's firmware may struggle to decode and play the video in real time due to its high bitrate, or (ii) if Mezzmo is transcoding the video on-the-fly, your computer may not be powerful enough to transcode such a high bitrate video for real time playback (as mentioned in my earlier post you can check this in the Transcoding pane).

ChrisOfTheOT
08-29-2013, 05:43 PM
... Mezzmo server may be transcoding your video on-the-fly while they are streaming to your TV or Xbox. It is doing thsi since your video is not compatible with your TV or Xbox and it transcodes (converts) it to a supported format. If transcoding is not fast enough on your computer, then your TV or Xbox will not have enough video data delivered to it by Mezzmo server so it can start to stutter. The way to check if this is happening is to play the video on your TV or Xbox and when it starts stuttering, go back to Mezzmo and check the Transcoding pane. If the video is listed there and is marked red, then we know that transcoding is too slow for real time playback. To fix this, you can upgrade your computer to a higher spec or you can pre-transcode your stuttering videos before streaming them. Pre-transcoding means you transcode them before streaming them so that when you want to play them, they are ready to be streamed and no transcoding is required. This fixes the "transcoding on-the-fly too slow" issue that you may have. To pre-transcode a file, check this FAQ - http://forum.conceiva.com/showthread.php/6025-Tutorial-Pre-transcoding-Files.

Thanks for your help Paul (again). :)

I hope the above ffmpeg info is informative. I looked at another video in the Transcoding pane and it is indeed marked in red 'Too slow'. Most video files are Panasonic MTS (or MT2S) which should play natively on our Panasonic Viera (but, apparently, only if input through an SD card :mad:). However, trancoding worked okay in an earlier Mezzmo with WHS v1. The server is basically the same now (except more RAM & new SATA I and II controller cards) - would any of that slow things down?

I will try this 'Pre-tanscoding' option. Will it affect video quality? (I'm guessing it's just a pre-emptive measure - doing the same job but 'before hand', so to speak?) Also, we have several hundred GB worth of videos; will the transcoding folder have to be equally huge to accomodate them (assuming we watch them often)?

I'll try pre-transcoding later and give you a shout. Once again, many, many thanks for your help Paul - & the wonderful Mezzmo too. :cool:

Cheers,

Chris

ChrisOfTheOT
08-29-2013, 05:53 PM
Thanks, Chris. The video has quite a high bitrate (16 Mbps). Stuttering with high bitrate videos is quite common for two reasons: (i) if the video is streamed directly to your device by Mezzmo without any transcoding, the device's firmware may struggle to decode and play the video in real time due to its high bitrate, or (ii) if Mezzmo is transcoding the video on-the-fly, your computer may not be powerful enough to transcode such a high bitrate video for real time playback (as mentioned in my earlier post you can check this in the Transcoding pane).

Streuth, Sport! It must be stupid-o-clock in Oz and you're still working - I'm stunned & humbled (& very grateful)... :o

I'm hoping it's not a Panasonic firmware issue as, from memory, updating TV firmware depends on Panasonic broadcasting it which only happens for short periods. I'll have to Google it.

If the pre-transcoding works, we'll be okay. I'll try some other videos too - avi, mpeg, etc. - and see if that makes any difference.

Once again, many thanks Paul.

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
08-29-2013, 06:14 PM
I think pre-transcoding will help. If you still get stuttering after pre-transcoding a file, one useful tip is to lower the video bitrate slider setting in the Device Settings dialog (Performance page) for your device. Go to the Media Devices dialog and edit your device to see this setting. The video bitrate slider setting will lower the bitrate when transcoding so that your device can handle the transcoded video. After changing the slider, you will need to pre-transcode the file to see the effect.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-29-2013, 06:27 PM
I'll try the bitrate adjustment next (pre-transcoding is currently underway).

I had thought the pre-transcoding process would convert MTS files to whatever the Panasonic/Xbox can play natively (mpeg, or whatever). However, the options seemed to be 'mpegts' to 'h264'. Also, although I slected the folder with the Panasonic videos in it, I notice that Mezzmo has actually started with other folders, and not MTS/MT2S files, but AVIs... Clearly, I have no idea how this works!

Anyway, I'll let Mezzmo do its stuff and then report back.

Muchness gratitude & profound thanks again Paul,

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. I just checked - it's early evening in Melbourne. Not as late as I thought but still making for a long day for you, Paul...

Paul
08-30-2013, 08:51 AM
Hi Chris,

Let us know if you have any problems, and we'll help out.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-30-2013, 05:49 PM
It turns out there are over a thousand files that Mezzmo wants to pre-transcode and it seems to take several minutes per file. While Mezzmo is doing the transcoding, it's hogging so much system oomph that the backups, etc., are failing. (I can temporarily disable the transcoding process though that's not very convenient). I've noticed an option to reduce processor CPU priority but I fear this will then require even more time to finish?! :confused:

I had not anticipated this huge work load - nor the (presumably) equally large amount of disk space needed. If I attach an old hard drive dedicated to Mezzmo specifically (moving the temporary & transcoding folders there) will it help? Currently the transcoding is being done on the 'D' drive, the same drive the videos are stored in (my 'C' drive is only 100GB).

I've left it running for nearly 24 hours and there are still 908 files queued for transcoding! :eek: The transcoding rates vary from 25 fps to just 2 fps. At this rate, it will take 10 days (!) to complete... And I haven't even been able to test the results yet. Is this normally what happens when pre-transcoding?

I'm not sure what to do now as (effectively) disabling the server for 10 days is not ideal.

Thanks again for your help Paul,

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
08-30-2013, 05:59 PM
Hi Chris,

We did find and fix a bug in Mezzmo v3.3.0.0 that could be causing your slow transcoding speeds. We did have a similar problem with our Viera TVs here. Please upgrade to Mezzmo v3.3.1.0. After upgrading, go to the Media Devices dialog and edit your Panasonic Viera TV. On the Device Settings dialog, go to the Advanced tab and click the Default Settings button. Click OK to save your changes and now try to stream a few files to your TV. Let us know if that is better. Hopefully, there is either no transcoding at all or transcoding is much faster.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-30-2013, 06:49 PM
Sorry Paul - after upgrading Mezzmo crashed. When I went to the profiles drop-down list, it was blank for all devices. 'Default Settings' in the 'Advanced' tab would not let the settings be entered because no device profile could be entered. I have had to shut-down Mezzmo.

Never straight forward, is it?

Cheers Paul,

Chris

P.S. There was a large error log & 'Crash.dmp' file generated. I'll try and forward them to you, when I've found the link!

Paul
08-30-2013, 07:22 PM
Hi Chris,

It seems the upgrade did install correctly. So download the full installer from our web site - http://www.conceiva.com/downloads and run it. It will prompt you to do a Repair and click Yes. Hopefully after that, your fileset should be fine. Make sure you stop your Mezzmo server and exit the Mezzmo application (if running) before running the installer.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-30-2013, 08:20 PM
Okay - it's doing some library building stuff now.

The 'repair' option didn't work (same crashing problem) so I uninstalled Mezzmo and re-installed it, which seems to have worked. Of course, I'll have to re-enter all the settings and stuff now - another all-day session! - but at least it's going okay so far.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers Paul,

Chris

Paul
08-31-2013, 06:44 AM
Sorry about the crashes, Chris. If you can email us the crash dump ZIP files, then we can find out what happened and fix these issues. Email them to us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-31-2013, 06:11 PM
Morning Paul - I've let Mezzmo settle down overnight and it seems to have done it's library maintenance. Unfortunately, it has not improved; indeed, I seem to be back to square one! (Videos stuttering, several not recognised...)

Latest ffmpeg:

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102
Input #0, mpegts, from '\\SERVER\Videos\Panasonic SD60 HD Videos\Animals In The Garden\Woodpecker 12.6.12.mts':
Duration: 00:01:39.36, start: 0.801622, bitrate: 16286 kb/s
Program 1
No Program
Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 50 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s
Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090)
At least one output file must be specified

<MEZZMO>: Child process ended with code: 109, ExitCode=1


---> DB Level Info: 40, 100
---> Frame rate: 25.00
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9 PAR=1:1

I'm not sure where the crash logs are stored but since I've had to uninstall Mezzmo, maybe they've been deleted? (I did submit a crash log & error log yesterday.)

On booting up this morning, I noted new folders listed in the Mezzmo folder tree for 'Videos', 'Music' & 'Pictures'. These have never been present before and are all empty (& useless since they're in 'C/Users/Administrator/Pictures' (etc.) where there is no disk space). Did Mezzmo create these folders? Can I just delete them?

Again, many thanks for your help Paul. Forgive me for feeling jaded & tired now - it's Saturday and I've been messing with this for days!

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. Mezzmo seems to have adjusted the connection speeds in Device Settings to 100Mbps by itself. I'll leave it there as you mentioned to do that anyway.

Paul
08-31-2013, 08:01 PM
Hi Chris,

Please get the latest installer from our web site (http://www.conceiva.com/downloads) and run it. It will prompt you to Repair, and click Yes. This will update your Mezzmo program fileset. We did find a bug after releasing v3.3.1.0 & fixed it; it does relate to the problems you mention. After repairing has completed, run Mezzmo and go to the Media Devices dialog. Edit your device and on the Device Settings dialog, go to the Advanced tab. Click the Default Settings button. Next, go to the Transcoding tab and delete your transcoded files. Click OK to save your changes. This should correct any issues you were having. Try streaming now.

ChrisOfTheOT
08-31-2013, 10:51 PM
Wow, even on Saturday! You're a gem.

I'll let you know how I get on...

Cheers,

Chris

ChrisOfTheOT
08-31-2013, 11:09 PM
Well Paul, I've done what you said above (updated to 'new' version of 3.3.1.0): now my TV & Xbox cannot see Mezzmo at all. They can see the WHS connection, but not the Mezzmo one.

Looks like I'll be back on Monday then...

Thanks again for your help.

Cheers,

Chris

ChrisOfTheOT
09-01-2013, 12:13 AM
Of course, starting the media server would help... :o

However, everthing is much the same - videos stuttering or 'Cannot read file'. Videos which cannot be played may still be previewed & ID okay, but not always. Newest FFmpeg (for 8 second video: 'cannot read file'):

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102
Input #0, mpegts, from '\\SERVER\Videos\Panasonic SD60 HD Videos\Lynton May 2013\Exmoor Zoo\00053.mts':
Duration: 00:00:08.20, start: 0.501856, bitrate: 16537 kb/s
Program 1
Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 50 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s
Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090)
At least one output file must be specified

<MEZZMO>: Child process ended with code: 109, ExitCode=1


---> DB Level Info: 40, 100
---> Frame rate: 25.00
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9 PAR=1:1

Would it be possible to download a v2.x.x? (Sorry (!), but it's just I had fewer problems with earlier Mezzmos - except no option to disable the auto-updater.)

I'm off until Monday now, but thanks for your continued help with this Paul.

Cheers,

Chris

ChrisOfTheOT
09-01-2013, 12:35 AM
Also, I forgot to say that the error & crash logs I sent yesterday returned today, bounced. I've re-sent them.

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-01-2013, 09:45 AM
Thanks, Chris. We analyse the logs and respond via email.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-02-2013, 04:53 PM
Thanks again for your reply Paul.

The emails just tell me to do what you told me to do (update). Since I couldn't do that I unistalled Mezzmo and re-installed from the website from scratch: no improvement, as noted above. I'll look again later this morning to see how we're getting on. (I also note that I'm getting the 'Too slow' warning again.)

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-02-2013, 06:13 PM
OK - after re-installing, please email us a new set of logs when the problem occurs & we'll check out what's going wrong. Regarding the "Too slow" warning in the Transcoding pane, please post the FFmpeg information for that video. Right-click on the video in Mezzmo and click 'Get FFmpeg Information'.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-02-2013, 10:44 PM
Hi Paul - the FFmpeg for the transcoding file is massive, I hope it's right! This is currently transcoding - though I have not tried to view it - at a 2 fps.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Conceiva\Mezzmo\ffmpeg64\ffmpeg.exe -y -i "\\SERVER\Videos\Panasonic SD60 HD Videos\Animals In The Garden\Woodpecker3 15.6.12.mts" -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 -c:v:0 libx264 -b:v 8000000 -maxrate 15000000 -bufsize 7500000 -level 41 -profile:v main -filter:v "yadif" -pix_fmt yuv420p -copyinkf -coder 1 -flags +loop -fflags +genpts -subq 7 -me_range 16 -g 250 -keyint_min 25 -sc_threshold 40 -b_strategy 1 -x264opts direct-pred=auto:b-pyramid=normal:mixed-refs=1:weightb=1:8x8dct=1:fast-pskip=1:crf=22:ref=2:bframes=3:aud=1:me=hex -partitions -parti8x8-parti4x4-partp8x8-partp4x4-partb8x8 -bidir_refine 1 -c:a:0 copy -sn -threads 0 -async 0 -f mpegts "H:\Mezzmo Transcoding Files\2D589639-0473-4300-93D1-C7B746426770\Video\286-mpegts-libx264-ac3-sn.mzt"

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102
Input #0, mpegts, from '\\SERVER\Videos\Panasonic SD60 HD Videos\Animals In The Garden\Woodpecker3 15.6.12.mts':
Duration: 00:02:09.60, start: 0.501944, bitrate: 16686 kb/s
Program 1
No Program
Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 50 tbr, 90k tbn, 50 tbc
Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s
Stream #0:2[0x1200]: Subtitle: hdmv_pgs_subtitle ([144][0][0][0] / 0x0090)
[libx264 @ 00000000046cd260] using SAR=1/1
[libx264 @ 00000000046cd260] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast FastShuffle SSEMisalign LZCNT
[libx264 @ 00000000046cd260] profile Main, level 4.1
Output #0, mpegts, to 'H:\Mezzmo Transcoding Files\2D589639-0473-4300-93D1-C7B746426770\Video\286-mpegts-libx264-ac3-sn.mzt':
Metadata:
encoder : Lavf54.63.102
Stream #0:0: Video: h264, yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=-1--1, 8000 kb/s, 90k tbn, 25 tbc
Stream #0:1: Audio: ac3 (AC-3 / 0x332D4341), 48000 Hz, stereo, 256 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (h264 -> libx264)
Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame= 8 fps=0.0 q=0.0 size= 0kB time=00:00:00.39 bitrate= 0.0kbits/s dup=1 drop=0
...
frame= 2279 fps=2.0 q=27.0 size= 140280kB time=00:01:31.04 bitrate=12621.6kbits/s dup=1 drop=0

I also tried to get another (the 8 second video), just because it's short & shouldn't be any trouble for Mezzmo, but the FFmpeg files seems to be too short (like the first one I posted), but I assure you it was all Mezzmo produced!

ffmpeg version N-50460-g393dcbf Copyright (c) 2000-2013 the FFmpeg developers
built on Jun 27 2013 17:20:20 with gcc 4.6.2 (GCC)
configuration: --enable-memalign-hack --arch=x86_64 --target-os=mingw32 --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --enable-static --disable-shared --enable-zlib --disable-postproc --prefix=/home/peter/ffmpeg/build/gpl64 --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libx264 --enable-gpl --extra-libs='-lx264 -lpthread' --enable-runtime-cpudetect --extra-cflags=-I/home/peter/cc64/include --extra-ldflags=-L/home/peter/cc64/lib --pkg-config=pkg-config --disable-w32threads --enable-zlib
libavutil 52. 17.103 / 52. 17.103
libavcodec 54. 92.100 / 54. 92.100
libavformat 54. 63.102 / 54. 63.102
libavdevice 54. 3.103 / 54. 3.103
libavfilter 3. 41.100 / 3. 41.100
libswscale 2. 2.100 / 2. 2.100
libswresample 0. 17.102 / 0. 17.102


---> DB Level Info: 40, 100
---> Frame rate: 25.00
---> Aspect ratio: 16:9 PAR=1:1

I hope that helps.

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-03-2013, 09:13 AM
Hi Chris,

Thanks for the information. It shows that your original video has a resolution of 1920x1080 and a high bitrate of 16Mbps - which is common for camcorder videos. Transcoding HD video with high bitrates like these require significant CPU performance, so I am not surprised that you are only getting 2fps transcoding speed. A few things to try:


Go to the Media Devices dialog and edit your device. On the Device Settings dialog, go to the Transcoding tab and turn off transcoding checkbox and delete your transcoded files. Restart your Mezzmo server and try streaming this file now. Mezzmo server will stream it directly to your TV without any transcoding. SO we want to know if your Tv can handle such a high bitrate. Does it play OK?
If the video did not play on your TV when streamed directly, then we know that your TV cannot play such high bitrate videos and you will have no choice but to pre-transcode these high-bitrate videos - as mentioned in my previous posts on this thread. Remember to turn back on the transcoding checkbox for your device.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-03-2013, 05:12 PM
Thanks for this Paul - I'll turn off transcoding and see how we go.

Cheers,

Chris

ChrisOfTheOT
09-03-2013, 06:51 PM
Ah - you're onto something Paul. :)

I tried AVI, WAV & MOV files which did not work ('File not supported', or similar). I imagined this would be the case.

However, when I tried the MTS (or MT2S - they seem to be identified alternately in different applications), they work splendidly! :D In fact, it was just as it used to be! The clarity is perfect, even the fast forward, etc. works perfectly. Happy days! (These files were produced by the Panasonic HD60 camera which we got hoping for maximum compatibility with our Panasonic Viera TV.)

I also tried some MPEG2 videos - I can't remember which device produced them - but they also work (nearly) perfectly. The quality is not HD and the ratio seems to stretch from 4:3. I've read something about it here but I can't remember where now. (I prefer to maintain the original ratio.)

This all emphasises my ignorance as I don’t understand what transcoding is. I thought this was the basic requirement of a media server so (I thought) that turning transcoding off would simply stop everything working. I have read a good deal in trying to get Mezzmo up and running (honest!) but this seems to have gone over my head.

(For instance, our TV plays MTS files natively, but ONLY if they’re input from the SD card or connected directly to the camera. MTS/MT2S files copied directly from the SD card to anything else means the TV cannot read them – unless through Mezzmo, which I thought had to transcode them…)

Anyway, we have progress here. I assume I can set transcoding for AVI, WAV & MOV (etc.?), but not for MTS/MT2S & MPEG2 (etc.?) – is that correct?

The other question is, why am I having problems now, but previously Mezzmo worked without have to alter these transcoding settings? Has WHS 2011 bogged down my system that much? (I’m running an AMD Sempron 2.7Ghz processor/4GB RAM/Gigabyte wired network/SATA I & II.)

Thanks again Paul (& Peter),

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-04-2013, 08:41 AM
Good testing, Chris. Please email us at support [at] conceiva [dot] com and we'll provide a device profile to better match the streaming capabilities of your TV. In your email, please include the FFmpeg information on a few of your MPEG2 videos that play perfectly with transcoding turned off.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-04-2013, 04:17 PM
Will do Paul - and many thanks again.

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-04-2013, 06:09 PM
Thanks - got your logs. We'll respond via email with an updated device profile.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-06-2013, 06:38 PM
Many thanks Paul, I got the profile and have installed it as per your instructions and it's working fine for MTS & MPEG. I take it I will have to re-enable transcoding for AVI, MOV & WMV files? (Will that mess things up?)

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-06-2013, 07:22 PM
Yes - please turn transcoding back on. Everything should be fine. Email us any problems to support [at] conceiva [dot] com. Thanks.

ChrisOfTheOT
09-09-2013, 05:26 PM
:D Just a quick note to re-iterate my thanks to you Paul, and everyone who helped via support on email.

We had a very nostalgic (not to say poignant) time the other night watching some old family videos streamed through Mezzmo. It all works fine now. I've set files not natively recognised by the Panasonic TV to pre-transcode, just to give the server processor an easier time when those videos are being streamed. (Since these AVIs, etc. are in the minority, that was sorted in a few hours and has left only a smallish 'Transcoded Files' folder - about 100GB.)

So - thank you once again Paul. Conceiva do a fine job. :cool:

Cheers,

Chris

Paul
09-09-2013, 05:38 PM
That's great news, Chris. Many thanks for your kind words. It took a few attempts/tweaks, but we finally got you up and running :) Hope you continue to enjoy streaming with Mezzmo!